Local mayor wants Notley gov’t to fight gas price hikes

The mayor of Spruce Grove is fed up with gas price hikes right before long weekends, and he wants the province to step in.

Gas prices jumped 15 cents in Edmonton this week. And Mayor Stuart Houston brought it up at a conference of municipal politicians in Edmonton on Thursday, trying to get the Notley government to press the issue.

“I’ve asked the province to sit down with energy officials and ask them why, and I’d like to even see a provincial inquiry into looking at regulatory requirements for this kind of action because, quite frankly, everybody knows what’s going on and it’s very upsetting,” Houston told Global News.

Houston posed the question to provincial ministers as they met with representatives at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association conference in Edmonton Thursday morning. Houston thought his idea went over well.

“It was a pretty positive reaction. There was a pretty good ovation because I think everybody in the room is concerned about it as well,” says Houston. “Every long weekend, we have to put up with this bump-up in energy prices, and it’s no longer acceptable. Let’s face it, who are they trying to kid?”

Houston says the province claims there’s not much they can do. But he thinks they’ve got more regulatory power than they’re letting on.

“There’s not a shortage of fuel by any means. Energy prices across North America are stable and low. So to see a 17 per cent bump-up for the long weekend…it doesn’t really make sense.” (bd, with files from Global News)